World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions
Just like TV, you can't seem to walk into a game store without seeing some variety of poker or Texas Hold-Em. Every publisher has been trying to cash in the chips though to be fair card games have been a mainstay of digital gaming since its inception. With so many titles and such a rich history of games out there it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what title is worth your hard earned money. Activision's latest attempt has hit the PSP and while it's not the pinnacle of poker excellence it's a decent option for the addict on the go.
Gameplay:
Right from the start the options and modes for World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions are rather straight forward but functional. There is a Quick Play Mode, Career Mode, Multiplayer, and a Tutorial. Depending on your level of skill with the cards you may want to check out the Tutorial first but anybody who has cut a tooth on a poker chip can probably just get started with Quick Play or Career.
Quick Play is probably the most convenient mode in the game because it allows you to tweak the rules, set up custom tournaments, and give each of the variations of the game a try. Practice makes perfect and if you want to have a successful Career you will probably want to test the waters with this section. When you're ready to take the next step that's when you'll want to create a player and sit down at a table to work on that stack of chips in front of you.
The create a player mode is decent for a PSP title though to be fair whoever you create is going to look butt ugly. You can tweak options for facial types and some of the clothing but it's certainly nothing as robust as the Tiger Woods game for 2007. Then again I suppose it doesn't have to be. Anyways, once you get your player and are ready to get the action under way there is a bevy of tournaments and features waiting for you.
The main selection that you'll be starting with here is the World Series of Poker tournament. This is a collection of tournaments at different locations with varying degrees of buy-ins. When you participate in one of these events you're playing not only for the money but also for some unlockable items and points so you can progress further. Some Invitational Events and special games such as a one on one against a professional player help break up the monotony of just playing through your career. There is also another tutorial-like section here with Chris Ferguson and you can even play a version of video poker if you get bored with sitting at a table.
Unfortunately, as fun as poker is, there are some problems with this release. Since this release is for a portable system there have to be some features in place in order to make it work. World Series of Poker for the PSP is missing these key components. Being unable to fast forward through every turn means that games drag out for longer than a portable session will allow for. I found myself having to suspend my system several times just through one single event in a tournament. Some specific passes around the table and flopping of the cards can be skipped but in most cases you're stuck sitting there quietly even if you've already folded.
Another area where the PSP version of World Series of Poker lacks greatly is the degree of difficulty. The biggest draw (for me anyway) for playing digital poker isn't about what hand you have or whether or not you call or fold; it's how the other players play. The AI has to be realistic enough to offer a challenge and to make you second guess your hand. Sadly I was able to read the AI here like a book. After a couple of games you can tell almost immediately by the way they bet whether or not they have anything. Each character plays practically on the same level and throughout my time with the game it was rare if I was surprised. I felt like I could predict what their hands were 80% of the time and it really took most of the challenge away from the experience.
Multiplayer through the Ad Hoc provides some longevity for World Series of Poker thanks to some enjoyable modes. This provides a nice break if you have a buddy and you're sick of playing against the CPU.
Graphics:
I hate to be blunt but World Series of Poker is an ugly game. Character models are freakish and the presentation is lackluster in just about every regard. Environments fair worse with a fixed pixilated audience cut out and played randomly in the background. In many cases there are thick jagged blocks of another color surrounding them. I tried looking beyond this less than appeal façade and just focus on the cards but most of the time it was a challenge to do just that.
Audio:
Sound is another weak presentation point for World Series of Poker. Commentary and phrases repeat themselves to a ridiculous degree after a while and in most cases within a single game. To make matters worse the voice acting isn't very good and the dialogue is even worse. Weak lounge music doesn't push the score in a positive direction either. All of this makes for an experience that makes me thankful the PSP has volume control.
Conclusion:
In the end World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions is a decent poker experience for the PSP but one that has a few flaws. Being unable to fast forward or skip hands when you fold makes for an uneven experience on a portable system. On a console it's a little different but since games really have to be able to be picked up and played on the PSP the lack of this feature is almost glaring. The AI is another soft issue and in the end every CPU character plays the same which really brings down the difficulty level. There are multiple challenge settings for your career so you can tweak the experience a little bit. If you're looking for a handheld poker game to pass the time with this isn't a bad option. I just hope that you're able to look past the drab presentation of the game and focus entirely on the cards.